Recent developments in digital technology have spurred the development and deployment of digital video transmission systems. Video content is typically provided by satellite, terrestrial broadcast, and by cable providers. More recently, video content has also been provided via the Internet Protocol (IP) by telecommunication service providers.
Video content may be received at end users' digital set top box (STB) devices, which decode the video content for display on video display devices (e.g., televisions) connected to the STB devices.
There are some end users, such as businesses, that provide custom video content to their customers. For example, a business, such as a ski resort may provide a custom video content ski channel for its guests, or an electronics chain may provide custom video content for its customers at all of its locations. Additionally, video content providers may provide a “help & how-to” custom video content channel for satellite and cable video transmission systems to demonstrate functionality and trouble shooting tips (e.g., use of a remote control device).
Currently, custom video content may be transmitted from a video content provider to end users via a dedicated channel or may be distributed to the end users via digital video disk (DVD). Transmitting custom video content over a dedicated channel is expensive, and bandwidth restrictions prevent providers from allocating dedicated channels to many end users, especially via satellite and cable transmission systems. DVD distribution requires manual effort and increases the risk of human error.